Somerville Seeks Participants for Cultural Capacity Planning

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council are inviting residents to participate in the City's cultural capacity planning process. The cultural planning process aims to explore ways to strengthen and improve access to Somerville’s cultural assets. Community members can participate in a variety of ways, including joining a community conversation, self-nominating to serve as an Ambassador to the City and representing your artistic or cultural community on the Advisory Committee, or attending a town hall and sharing feedback on draft recommendations. 

Residents are invited to participate in a brief survey to share how they’d like to engage with the cultural planning work: forms.gle/EYC6Z5q4ea5yUs36A

“This is a key moment,” explains Director of Arts Council, Gregory Jenkins. “There is such a rich arts and culture community here in Somerville and we want to ensure that it thrives into the future. The Somerville Cultural Plan and the many ways residents, artists and cultural producers, and other stakeholders can get involved will ensure that we are building a plan that addresses the needs and hopes of our community”. 

Building on pre-planning work initiated in 2020, the Somerville Cultural Plan will provide the vision, policy framework, implementation strategies, organizational structures, and funding requirements needed to further develop Somerville’s cultural community, and to better integrate arts and culture into other policy and practice areas. The City of Somerville has hired Forecast Public Art and Solomon Office to lead this effort. This process will continue through September 2023.

How to Participate

Now - Take the survey to let us know how you want to participate: forms.gle/EYC6Z5q4ea5yUs36A

1. Join a community conversation based on your cultural activities
2. Nominate yourself or someone else for a paid leadership position by January 2nd. 
   1. Leaders will serve as Cultural Ambassadors to the City for a creative community (up to 6 hours/month)
   2. Artistic & creative communities with a Liaison include: visual artists, performing artists, musicians, makers/artisans, and designers/technologists
3. Represent your creative community on the Advisory Committee 

Future

• Throughout 2023, community members will be invited to:
  • Participate in or host a community conversation
  • Attend a city-wide Forum
  • Comment on draft recommendations

For further questions, please contact Gregory Jenkins at 617.625.6600 ext. 2985 or gjenkins@somervillema.gov

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.